Force India hopes for points on the Rock

Vijay Mallya, the director of the Sahara Force India team, eagerly anticipates the Monaco Grand Prix, his favorite of the season: «The Monaco Grand Prix has always been my favorite. It’s an extraordinary place for Formula 1, and nothing comes close to the atmosphere and glamour that surround the race.»

Paul di Resta is also looking forward to heading to the paddock because the Monaco race is the best of the season according to him: «The Monaco Grand Prix is probably the key moment of the year and the race that all drivers want to win. It’s always a busy weekend: the grandstands are full, the yachts are in the harbor, and everyone is looking for the best view. When the weather is nice, it really helps to make the atmosphere electric.»

The Scottish driver will be among the privileged ones, as he lives in the Principality all year round – when he’s not on the circuits. He is therefore eager to enjoy his personal comfort every evening: This is where I live now, and it’s interesting to see how full Monaco gets when the race comes to town. It’s really nice to be able to go home every night, sleep in your own bed, and enjoy your space. I also have a lot of family members and friends around me who come to watch the race.

Nico Hülkenberg is looking forward to being in Monaco as well. The German driver loves street circuits and is eager to race again in Monaco, even though the track leaves no room for errors: «I appreciate the challenge of Monaco. There is no part of the lap where you can relax for a second – even on the straight, which isn’t really a straight. I really love street circuits because you need to grow with the car throughout the sessions to find the limits. If you succeed, you’re just a few centimeters from the barriers, so there’s no room for error.»

Paul Di Resta agrees with his teammate, the 2011 DTM champion knows that the Monaco track requires constant attention. Di Resta also believes that the VJM05 must be well set up to smoothly handle the bumps on the circuit as well as the curbs: « It’s a circuit that demands a lot of confidence and commitment, and you need to build up your speed throughout the weekend to achieve the best possible lap. There are some enjoyable corners, like Casino where you arrive at 300 km/h and brake while turning into a blind corner. Then there’s the slowest corner of the year, the hairpin, taken in first gear with maximum steering lock. At the end of the lap towards the swimming pool, you really feel the downforce and you need a car that can ride the curbs and withstand the bumps. It’s a real challenge for the drivers and engineers to get the perfect car. »

Hülkenberg is feeling rather confident for this weekend, especially since he finished in the points at the last race in Spain. The young German expects a lot from the development of the new features introduced in Barcelona: I think we made a good step forward thanks to the developments in Spain, and they will continue to help us in Monaco. We still have work to do to understand them and fine-tune them, so it’s something the team is working on. When you see how close the teams are, even a slight gain in performance can make a difference.

Vijay Mallya would like to see his drivers gather new points on the Rock, as in the recent races, but he knows it won’t be easy: I’d love to see us achieve a good performance this weekend and fight for points once again. We’ve clearly made progress with the car recently, but the entire grid remains very close. Only a few tenths can separate 10 positions on the grid, so no one can afford to rest on their laurels.

The boss of the Sahara Force India team also hopes that his drivers can take advantage of every opportunity this weekend, as Monaco regularly brings its share of surprises: « We also know that Monaco can be an unpredictable race, so anything is possible. Our goal is to ensure that we can qualify well to be well positioned for Sunday. »